Among the classic sitcoms of the 1990s, “Married… with Children” revolves around the Bundys, a dysfunctional suburban Chicago family whose members wouldn’t say a kind word to one another for a million dollars. Fox’s longest-lasting, live-action sitcom was loved by all because of Al, the family patriarch and failed shoe salesman, Peggy, the housewife who doesn’t actually work around the house, and the pair’s misfit children. The show, however, is full of behind-the-scenes surprises both on and off screen, and even if you’ve seen every episode, you can rest assured you don’t know the half of it. Better yet, we bet you didn’t notice the iconic mistake made on the show. To find out, read on to learn things that will surprise you.
1. Every Episode Cost A Fortune
Producing big-time movies isn’t cheap, and television shows can be just as expensive. Especially shows as lengthy as Married… with Children. Despite its huge success and prolific fandom, the production for the show was costly – very costly.
Every episode of the hit 11-season show reportedly cost about $1 million, and that could partially explain the series’ untimely cancellation. Each broadcast became too expensive and the profit margin wasn’t favorable enough, according to some.
2. An Overnight Hit
Married… with Children was Fox Broadcasting Company’s very first prime-time television series, and it was an absolute hit. If the Internet was a huge thing back in 1987, the sitcom would have been an overnight viral sensation.
In fact, the very first episode, which aired on April 15, 1987, had so many viewers that Fox played it over and over again that same night. But there would be something unexpected that would propel this show about the dysfunctional Bundy family to even more success than was anticipated.
3. Controversial Debut
They say all publicity is good publicity, and in the case of Married… with Children, that certainly turned out to be the case. The show received a boost in popularity shortly after it first came out in 1987, but from an unexpected source.
That boost largely came from a family values activist who started a letter campaign complaining about the show’s subject matter, arguing that it was promoting an anti-family narrative. The story caught the media’s attention and shined a spotlight on the show, putting Fox on the map once and for all.
4. A Different Title
Married… with Children was revolutionary at the time for portraying a family that isn’t perfect. The show’s family patriarch seems to constantly hate his life for having a wife that doesn’t do anything around the house while using the little money he makes, as well as an overly promiscuous daughter and a socially inept son.
In other words, Married… with Children provided television viewers with the antithesis of what The Cosby Show was all about. In fact, Married… with Children initially had a working title that reflected the contrast perfectly when it was first in production, namely: Not the Cosbys.
5. Birthday Calls To Fans
When Married… with Children was at its peak, Ed O’Neill would fulfill requests to make birthday and holiday telephone calls to fans – or, really, Al Bundy was making the calls. O’Neill was as convincing as he was on the show, too.
But when O’Neill would call his fans, it came at a cost. In Al Bundy’s typical cheapskate nature, O’Neill would only call them collect, which is otherwise known as a reverse charge call. Speaking of iconic ’90s sitcom characters, you’ll never believe who once auditioned for the role of Al Bundy. Read on to find out.
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